An overnight to Magnetic Island

Magnetic Island sits about eight nautical miles off Townsville, and an overnight trip there is one of the cheapest and simplest ways to find out whether you like sleeping on a boat. The crossing is short, the anchorages are sandy bays between granite headlands, and you are never far from help.

Who this suits and who it does not

It suits complete beginners. A shared overnight berth on a crewed boat asks nothing of you except that you get along with strangers. It suits backpackers, couples on a budget, and people who want to test their sea legs before committing to a Whitsundays week. See charter types.

It also suits Townsville locals with a boat licence who want a soft first overnight in their own water.

It does not suit anyone wanting privacy, unless you book the whole vessel privately. Shared overnights mean shared cabins or close quarters. It does not suit people who need air conditioning in the tropics, because at anchor you are on breeze alone and a still night in October is hot.

It does not suit crews chasing distance or reef. This is island cruising, not an outer reef trip. For that, look at Cairns or Port Douglas.

The shape of the days

Two legs of eight to fourteen nautical miles, which are rounded planning estimates depending on which bay you use.

Day one is short because the whole product is short and because Cleveland Bay, between the mainland and the island, kicks up a nasty short chop in fresh south-east trades despite being shallow and enclosed. Crossing early in the afternoon usually means crossing before the worst of it. Anchor with light to spare, swim, and eat on deck.

Day two is a morning return. The trades build through the day in the dry season, so an early crossing back is smoother and quicker. There is no reason to make it longer.

Decision points

Wind direction decides the bay. Horseshoe Bay on the north side and the eastern bays such as Florence and Arthur are each good in some directions and rolly in others. In strong south-easterlies the northern and eastern bays are generally the choice. In an unusual northerly, they are not, and the boat moves to the leeward side or does not go.

The second decision is whether the crossing happens at all. In twenty five to thirty knots of trade, a small vessel with inexperienced passengers on board should not be crossing Cleveland Bay for fun, and a good skipper will postpone.

The third is season. The tropical dry season is roughly May to October with south-east trades dominating. Summer brings heat, humidity, thunderstorms and cyclone exposure, with the official Australian tropical cyclone season running 1 November to 30 April, and cyclones possible outside it. Read weather and seasons.

What to book ahead

Book the boat for dry season weekends and school holidays, since the shared overnight fleet in Townsville is small.

Book a bed ashore for the night before and after. Ferries run, but the boat schedule and the ferry schedule do not always agree.

Bring a soft bag, not a suitcase. There is nowhere to put a hard case on a small boat. See provisioning for what to bring if catering is not included, and costs for what a shared berth typically covers.

If you are hiring bareboat rather than taking a berth, the bareboat guide and qualifications pages cover the Class 4 hire and drive requirements and what the operator will want to see.

One honest warning

Marine stingers are the specific warning for this ground. Through the warmer months the tropical north has a stinger risk that is real and occasionally serious, and it does not care that you are only in the water for ten minutes off a boat. Wear the suit the operator gives you, get in and out over the same side, and do not let children swim unsupervised at night.

The second warning is that Cleveland Bay is shallower and rougher than the chart suggests it should be. Short steep wind waves over a shallow bottom are more uncomfortable than deeper ocean swell of the same height. If you are prone to seasickness, take something before you board.

Regional detail is on the Magnetic Island and Townsville page, with more options across the region directory.